The Naiad Voyages

Mark Austen

2016.10.04 - The Stowage Frame Completed

Tuesday, 4 October, 2016

The aim today was to complete the frame upon which the bunk slats will rest. This involved making a very small half-bulkhead just behind the Samson post, notching that and the other newly made half-bulkhead so that the stringers are at the correct height and then screwing it all together.

The foremost half-bulkhead.

Complete with a wider batten attached as per the other bulkhead.

And here is the completed frame.

You can see that the bulkhead here has be cut so that it is vaguely T-shaped. Now you may wonder why I bothered doing this, surely it would have been easier to just cut off the bottom bit entirely.

Well, it would be easier but not so good from an engineering point of view. If it has been cut all the way across, then the weight of whatever ends up on the bunk, two 75Kg people for example, will try to push the two sides of the boat apart. If, on the other hand, it is T-shaped, then the weight will be taken by the strong keel and the bits that touch the hull will just be there to stop is falling over.

Not that I expect the hull to ever push apart as I've just mentioned, but it is the principle of the thing.

A view of the whole thing, just waiting for the cedar for the slat to arrive.

Once the entire thing is completed I will dismantle everything and give it all a good coat of the locker paint and then reassemble it using a polysulphide sealant on the parts that touch the hull.

There are two tings that you cannot see that are slightly different about these frames. Firstly the stringers are not and will not be glued to the bulkheads and secondly the holes in the stringers though which the screws pass to hold them in place are deliberately 1mm or so oversize. Both of these are to ensure that when the stringers bend, and they will bend at least a little, the glue and screws are not trying to hold the ends in exactly the same position as when not bent. These two are designed to allow the ends of the stringers to move a little.

The same methodology will be used for the cabin seat and the stowage slats under the poop deck.